SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT BLOOD
What is Blood?
Blood is the life-maintaining fluid that circulates through:
♥ Heart
♥ Arteries
♥ Veins
♥ Capillaries
♥ Brain
♥ Rest of the body
What are the components of Blood?
Blood makes up about 7 percent of your body’s weight.
The components of human blood are:
♥ Plasma. The liquid component of the blood in which the following blood cells are suspended:
♥Red blood cells (erythrocytes). These carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
♥White blood cells (leukocytes). These help fight infections and aid in the immune process. Types of white blood cells include:
Lymphocytes
Monocytes
Eosinophils
Basophils
Neutrophils
♥ Platelets (thrombocytes). These help in blood clotting.
Why Donate Blood?
♥ Every year our nation requires about 5 Crore units of blood, out of which only a meager 2.5 Crore units of blood are available.
♥ The gift of blood is the gift of life. There is no substitute for human blood.
♥ Every two seconds someone needs blood.
♥ More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
♥ A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year.
♥ The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
♥ The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
♥ Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
♥ More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
♥ A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood.
Advantages:
While donated blood is beneficial for people in need, some medical professionals maintain that donating blood also benefits the donor.
Reduces Iron Level
Identifies adverse health effects
Helps people feel good about themselves
Burns Calorie
Disadvantages:
When performed in a clean manner, donating blood is safe.
If a blood bank were to reuse needles, this could increase the risk of someone experiencing a blood-borne infection
A person can experience some side effects, as a result of donating blood. These include:
dizziness
feeling faint
lightheadedness
nausea
Facts about the Blood supply
♥ Blood cannot be manufactured – it can only come from generous donors.
♥ Type O-negative blood (red cells) can be transfused to patients of all blood types. It is always ingreat demand and often in short supply.
♥ Type AB-positive plasma can be transfused to patients of all other blood types. AB plasma is also usually in short supply.
Blood donation process
Donating blood is a safe process.
♥ A sterile needle is used only once for each donor and then discarded.
♥ Blood donation is a simple four-step process:
REGISTRATION
MINI PHYSICAL
DONATION
REFRESMENT
♥ Every blood donor is given a mini-physical, checking the donor’s temperature, blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin to ensure it is safe for the donor to give blood.
♥ The actual blood donation typically takes less than 10-12 minutes. The entire process, from the time you arrive to the time you leave, takes about an hour and 15 min.
♥ The average adult has about 10 units of blood in his body.
♥ Roughly 1 unit is given during a donation.
♥ A healthy donor may donate red blood cells every 56 days, or double red cells every 112 days.
♥ A healthy donor may donate platelets as few as 7 days apart, but a maximum of 24 times a year.
♥ All donated blood is tested for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and other infectious diseases before it can be transfused to patients.
